'New Year's Eve' on Serious Eats

While plenty of holidays bring out lively crowds, nothing tops New Year's Eve for alcohol-fueled shenanigans. And the bartenders on-duty that night see it all. We asked bartenders around the country for their favorite New Year's Eve stories; here's what they had to say. More

Fizzy mixed drinks are a great place for affordable sparkling wines: extra ingredients like citrus juice, spirits, and liqueurs can cover up almost any less-than-perfect flavors. Looking for a little mixing inspiration? Here are 16 sparkling cocktail recipes we love. More

Got caught up in all those other holidays and didn't plan for New Year's Eve? No worries! You don't have to drink whatever bubbly they sell at 7-Eleven while you watch the ball drop. Here's our last minute guide to ringing in 2013 right. More

On New Years Eve, most of us throw cocktail parties and let our guests graze their way into the new year. We're in full support of this method, just don't forget dessert. These one-bite treats are the perfect sweet way to cap off the old year, bubbly in one hand, sweet in the other. More

This New Year's Eve, I suggest you make this float: a tart, ripe grapefruit sorbet blooming with orange, lemon, and the subtlest whisper of gin. And I suggest you float it in Champagne (or one of these other lovely fizzy things). And I encourage a drizzle of pomegranate molasses, sweet and tart, rich but bracing, a hopeful portent of the year to come. More

This sorbet can be whipped up a few hours before guests arrive. Serve the float in individual flutes or bowls, or as a large punch with the sorbet floating in the center. I use 2 to 3 ounces of Champagne for a medium-sized scoop, which should get you around 8 servings with one bottle of Champagne. More

By New Years Eve, I've thrown and attended more than my fair share of holiday parties. I'll admit I'm a little worn out (can you get carpal tunnel from canapés?) and my wallet is feeling noticeably lighter. So to get amped for one last holiday hurrah in 2011, I turned to Linnea Johansson, a celebrity event planner, Elle contributor, chef, and author of Perfect Parties. In addition to sharing her top party tips, she shares recipes for smokey deviled eggs, black truffle & Parmesan popcorn, and a Prosecco cocktail. More

For last week's Weekend Cook and Tell we asked all of you to share your New Year's Eve menus for a challenge we dubbed New Year's Eve Tastes and Toasts. Responses ranged from sliders to chicken korma to caviar and everything in between. Here's a look at some of the tastiest ways you rang in the New Year. More

Happy New Year, serious eaters. May your 2011 be filled with lots of seriously delicious food (eaten in moderation, of course—this is, after all, a Serious Diet post) with people whose company you enjoy. That's in fact what we strive to do every day on Serious Eats, and to the extent that we succeed, it's largely because of the warm embrace we receive from the ever-growing community of serious eaters all over the world. More

With all those bubbles to drink on New Year's, you'll need to do some serious snacking in between. Here's a smattering of our favorite dips, spreads, dumplings, puffs, and other bites to nibble on while merrymaking this Friday night. More

You can't ring in the New Year without bubbles. (Go ahead and toast with sparkling cider or a non-alcoholic punch dosed with club soda—it's the fizz that counts.) If you're not shelling out for real Champagne, there are a dizzying array of options. Luckily the Serious Eats team has sorted out the delicious from the drainpours and now present to you our top choices in bubbly for ringing in 2011. More

Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he chimes in with some nuttiness. Take it away, Lee! [Photograph: Lee Zalben] Champagne and foie gras—perhaps this is how you rang in the New Year during the stock market's boom times. But for 2010, you might not have the ducats to put on such a rich spread. And even if you can, perhaps you're opting for a less showy celebration. So if you aren't going to splurge on Krug or Veuve Clicquot, why not opt for some California sparkling wine or some affordable Spanish cava? And if you've... More

If you're going to brave the crowds on one of the zooiest nights of the year, advance planning is essential. We've rounded up some of your best bets for year-end eating and drinking, so start calling to reserve now. More

I'm a pretty wine-challenged guy, so I get easily flummoxed when I'm headed to a New Year's Eve party and I've been asked to bring some sparkling wine or Champagne. To my rescue comes my buddy Joshua Wesson of Best Cellars. Josh has an encyclopedic knowledge of anything wine-related, so he quickly reeled off for me four sparkling wines he said should be readily available anywhere in the country this evening. So if you're headed out tonight in need of a bottle to bring to your hosts, your sparkling wine/Champagne worries are over. Entry Level: Cava Segura Viudas Brut Reserva, $10 Movin' On Up: Mionetto Prosecco, $13 to $15 Takin' You Higher: Mum Napa Brut, $19 to $20 The Real... More

New Year's Eve usually drives me crazy. We can never figure out what to do. I hate going to restaurants, many of whom jack up their prices figuring people are so desperate to convince themselves they are doing something special that they don't mind paying the extra ducats. I don't like traveling far to a New Year's Eve party even in NYC because I don't like dealing with the crazies on the street and on the subways who are determined to suck everyone around them into their manic New Year's Eve behavior. So our rule of thumb on New Year's Eve is to go to a party in our neighborhood that we can easily walk to. This year our good... More